Moral Obligations and Sovereignty in International Relations ― A Genealogy of Humanitarianism

This project examines the history of humanitarianism in international relations by tracing the relationship between transnational moral obligation and sovereignty from the 16^th century to the present. It answers the question: how has contemporary humanitarianism become the dominant framework for how states construct their moral obligations to non-citizens? Whereas existing studies of humanitarianism examine the diffusion of such norms or their transmission by non-state actors, this book takes a different approach by explicitly linking humanitarianism to the broader concept of sovereignty. Rather than only focusing on the expansion of humanitarian norms, the book examines how sovereignty is both challenged by humanitarian norms at the same time as sets limits on them. In other words, humanitarian norms act just as much to reinforce the logic of sovereignty as they do to challenge it.

The book challenges a widely held assumption in international relations scholarship that sovereignty and humanitarian norms are inherently opposed to each other. Contemporary humanitarianism is often described in universalist terms, which suggests that humanitarian activity transcends boundaries in order to provide assistance to those who suffer. In contrast, this book suggests a more counterintuitive and complex understanding of moral obligation, namely that humanitarian discourse not only provides a framework for legitimate humanitarian action, but it also sets the limits of moral obligation.

Andrea Paras is an Assistant Professor of International Relations at the University of Guelph, Canada.